Instead, Nowrasteh suggests abolishing criminal prosecutions of unauthorized border crossing, instead treating such an act as an infraction on par with something like a parking ticket. [More]And what does Nowrasteh -- and Reason, which is deliberately perpetuating a logical fallacy by extrapolating for the whole from isolated and heart-tugging exceptional anecdotes -- suggest we do about this...?
Actually, unauthorized border crossing IS somewhat "on par with something like a parking ticket". It's only a misdemeanor. Not that I'm defending it or anything suchlike. If we want to REALLY go after these people we need to prosecute them for the SERIOUS crimes they commit to STAY here.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot work here without certain documents. Obtaining fake official documents is a crime - a FELONY, in fact - namely forgery. And you can be charged with one count per forged document. Using those bogus documents to benefit financially is another FELONY - fraud - one count per document PER USE!
Then we throw the convicted felons in jail and after a few years offer them early release on condition of never coming back. Then we change the law such that ANY illegal re-entry is a felony carrying a minimum penalty of TEN YEARS in FEDERAL prison. Since they are already CONVICTED FELONS, city officials in "sanctuary cities" should be prosecutable under statutes covering aiding and abetting and/or harboring a known felon.
Couldn't HURT; could it?